Method and Apparatus for Providing Access to an Identity Service

1. A method of providing access to a non-registered identity service of a user from a Discovery Service server comprising the steps of: a) storing in said Discovery Service server a resource offering for a registered identity service of said user, said identity service being provided by a Service Provider, and said resource offering comprising a reference usable to contact with said Service Provider to access said identity service, b) receiving in said Discovery Service server a discovery service query to obtain a resource offering of said user, c) answering said discovery service query with a discovery service response containing a resource offering of a registered identity service of said user and providing access from said Discovery Service server to a non-registered identity service of a user by: d) selecting from said Discovery Service server a Service Provider for providing said non-registered identity service for said user and checking a service capability storage to select a Service Provider that can provide said identity service, wherein said service capability storage comprises: at least one identifier of a Service Provider, and at least one identifier of at least one identity service that can be provided from said Service Provider; sending a service capability query to an external service capability storage, said query comprising an identifier of an identity service, and receiving a response to said query comprising an identifier of a Service Provider that can provide said identity service and e) storing in said Discovery Service server a resource offering for registering said identity service of said user as provided by said selected Service Provider.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the checking step is repeated periodically.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: storing said server capability storage in said Discovery Service server, wherein the storing said server capability step is executed prior to the checking a service capability step.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: f) receiving in said Discovery Service server a capability registration from a Service Provider, said capability registration comprising an identifier of an identity service that can be provided from said Service Provider, and g) updating said server capability storage stored in said Discovery Service server with the content of said capability registration.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: h) checking in said Discovery Service server a first identity service against the resource offerings stored for the registered identity services of a user to determine whether said first identity service is a non-registered identity service of said user.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of: sending from said Discovery Service server request for establishing a communication with said user if said first identity service is a non-registered identity service of said user, and receiving a communication from said user in said Discovery Service server as a response to said request for establishing.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: receiving in said Discovery Service server a communication from said user comprising a service provider preference indicated by said user in said communication, and wherein the step “d” further comprises the step of: selecting one Service Provider among a plurality of Service Providers that can provide said identity service according to said service provider preference.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of: receiving in said Discovery Service server a communication from said user comprising service related data indicated by said user in said communication, said service related data being usable for the provision of said identity service from a selected Service Provider.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step “d” further comprises the steps of: sending from said Discovery Service server to said selected Service Provider a request for providing said identity service for said user from said selected Service Provider, receiving in said Discovery Service server a discovery service update from said selected Service Provider as a result of said request, said discovery service update comprising a resource offering for registering said identity service of said user in said Discovery Service server, and wherein the step “e” further comprises the step of storing in said Discovery Service server said received resource offering.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sending from said Discovery Server step, further comprises the service related data usable for the provision of said identity service for said user from said selected Service Provider.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sending from said Discovery Server step further comprises one step selected from: sending said request for providing included in a discovery service response sent as an answer to a received discovery service request received in said Discovery Service server, sending said request for providing included in a redirection request for redirecting a communication established between said Discovery Service server and said user towards said selected Service Provider, or sending said request for providing from said Discovery Service server directly to said selected Service Provider.

12. A Discovery Service server for providing access to an identity service of a user, comprising: a data storage module comprising a first data storage for storing a resource offering for a registered identity service of a user, said identity service being provided by a Service Provider, and said resource offering comprising a reference usable to contact with said Service Provider to access said identity service, a communication module for exchanging signaling for communicating with other communicating entities, and a processing module for processing said signaling and for controlling the storage and retrieval of data in said data storage module, said processing module being arranged to prompt said communication module to send a service capability query to an external service capability storage, said service capability query comprising an identifier of an identity service, wherein said communication module is arranged to receive a response to said service capability query comprising an identifier of a Service Provider that can provide said identity service, and said processing module is responsive to the reception of said response so as to select a Service Provider according to the content of said response, wherein said signaling comprises at least: the reception of a discovery service query to obtain a resource offering of a user, the sending of a discovery service response containing a resource offering of a registered identity service of said user, wherein said processing module is responsive to the reception of a discovery service query so as to check the content of said first data storage and to prompt said communication module to send said discovery service response and to provide access from said Discovery Service server to a non-registered identity service of a user, said processing module is arranged: to select a Service Provider for providing said non-registered identity service for said user, to store in said first data storage a resource offering for registering said identity service of said user as provided by said selected Service Provider, and to check a service capability storage comprising at least one identifier of a Service Provider, and at least one identifier of at least one identity service that can be provided from said Service Provider.

13. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein said processing module is arranged to repeat said check periodically.

14. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein said data storage module further comprises a second data storage to store said server capability storage, and wherein said processing module is arranged to check said second data storage in said Discovery Service server to select said Service Provider.

15. The Discovery Service server of claim 14 , wherein said communication module is arranged to receive a capability registration from a Service Provider, said capability registration comprising an identifier of an identity service that can be provided from said Service Provider, and wherein said processing module is responsive to the reception of said capability registration so as to update the content of said second data storage with the content of said capability registration.

16. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein said processing module is arranged to check a first identity service against the resource offerings stored for the registered identity services of a user in said first data storage to determine whether said first identity service is the non-registered identity service of said user.

17. The Discovery Service server of claim 16 , wherein said processing module is responsive to perform said check for said first identity service and said user at a: reception of a discovery service query requesting to obtain a resource offering of said user or reception of a capability registration from a Service Provider, or a periodical check of a service capability storage, or reception in said Discovery Service server of a communication from said user.

18. The Discovery Service server of claim 16 , wherein said processing module is responsive to the detection of the non-registered identity service for a user so as to prompt said communication module to send a request for establishing a communication with said user.

19. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein said communication module is arranged to receive a communication from said user comprising a service provider preference indicated by said user, and wherein said processing module is responsive to said communication so as to select a Service Provider according to said service provider preference.

20. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein said communication module is arranged to receive a communication from said user comprising service related data indicated by said user, said service related data being usable for the provision of said identity service from a selected Service Provider.

21. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein for providing access to a non-registered identity service of a user, said processing module is further arranged to prompt said communication module to send to said selected Service Provider a request for providing said identity service for said user from said selected Service Provider.

22. The Discovery Service server of claim 21 , wherein said request for providing comprises service related data usable for the provision of said identity service for said user from said selected Service Provider.

23. The Discovery Service server of claim 22 , wherein said service related data comprises at least part of the service related data received in a communication from the user.

24. The Discovery Service server of claim 21 , wherein said request for providing is included in: a discovery service response sent as an answer to a received discovery service request received in said Discovery Service server, or a redirection request for redirecting a communication established between said Discovery Service server and said user towards said selected Service Provider, or a direct communication from said Discovery Service server to said Service Provider.

25. The Discovery Service server of claim 21 , wherein said communication module is arranged to receive a discovery service update from said selected Service Provider as a result of said request for providing, said discovery service update comprising a resource offering for registering said identity service of said user in said Discovery Service server, and wherein said processing module is responsive to the reception of said discovery service update so as to store in said first data storage said received resource offering.

26. The Discovery Service server of claim 12 , wherein the data storage module comprises at least one data storage device, wherein the communication module comprises at least one communication device for exchanging signaling, and wherein the processing module comprises at least one processor for processing the signaling received by a communication device and for prompting a communication device to transmit the signaling to be sent.